Every holiday has a signature dish, and when it comes to the famous fall festival it’s all about the candy. Resisting those sugar cravings is a big ask when we find ourselves surrounded by overflowing bags of Skittles, novelty pumpkin-flavored goodies, Almond Joys, and Snickers. Not to mention Starbuck’s Pumpkin Spice Latte! Yup, that grande comes in at 380 not-so-nutritious calories!

But before you give in to that powerful urge to dip into your kids’ or grandkids’ sweet stash there’s something you should know…

What Happens When You Eat Sugar?

First, sugar causes our cravings to go into overdrive. Just one piece of taffy can crumble even the strongest of willpower walls, leaving you open to the giddy delights of a full-on Halloween candy binge.

However good it tastes at the time, that sugar splurge will cause inflammation throughout the body, making your cells work harder and your body feels tired. It will leave you hungry for proper nutrients like protein and fiber, and what’s worse, over time, it will also age you as sugar breaks down the collagen in your skin. This process is called glycation and it doesn’t only affect the collagen in our skin, it affects it in our blood vessels. This can cause plaque formation and increase our risk of heart disease as well.

Sugar And Menopause

Second, if you’re menopausal you definitely want to think twice before swamping your system with sugar. Studies have shown that women with diets high in sugar can experience worsened menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, and the inability to get rid of that muffin top belly fat than women who eat less sugar. As you go through menopause your levels of estrogen and progesterone drop, and you become more insulin resistant. When you hit the candy, your insulin levels spike, triggering hormonal changes that include a sharp rise in your body’s estrogen levels.

This wild fluctuation in your estrogen levels from low to high aggravates your menopausal symptoms, making your already uncomfortable hot flashes even worse.

How To Crush Sugar Cravings

Overall it takes your body three days to return to normal after a sugar surge. So, short of hiding in your basement until November 1st, what can you do to stay strong in the face of temptation this Halloween?

Another trick is to fat-load honestly by adding MCT oil and ghee butter to your coffee or tea and by taking cod liver oil. This will saturate your body and stop the hunger pangs. Also, those omega-3 fatty acids in the cod liver oil will boost your immune system and help to give your skin a healthy glow.

Staying hydrated, getting enough sleep, loading up on vegetables, and avoiding alcohol will also all help to curb your appetite and sweet cravings.

The Acid Test

However, the best thing that you can do to curb sugar cravings is to get yourself Keto-Green™ (Keto-Alkaline®) this week! Achieving this will give you the motivation to keep up the good work and make saying no to candy corn a cinch.

A Keto-Green or Keto-Alkaline diet rich in healthy fats optimizes hunger-regulating hormones like insulin and leptin and reduces levels of that growling tummy hormone ghrelin, which means you have fewer sugar cravings.

Check your progress by testing your urinary pH with my Keto-pH test strips. You’re Keto-Green (Keto-Alkaline) once you get a pH greater than 7. Hit that magic 7 and you will feel noticeably more energized and hormonally-balanced.

And, since my Keto-Green (Keto-Alkaline) diet has been proven to boost your sex drive, you could “treat” your mate to a little post-halloween fun.

﻿It contains the perfect balance of maca root, turmeric, mangosteen, cat’s claw, resveratrol, and just the right blend of other nutrients to alter your urinary pH, which may help reduce any inflammation. And despite the green tea, it even has a nice flavor.

Get Back On Track

Giving up sugar is tough. But if you do fall off the wagon this Halloween and chomp a load of chocolate, do not despair and give up on your mission to be healthy. Instead, allow yourself that slip-up (you’re only human after all!) and get yourself back on track the next day.

Feasting days happen, but it’s how you deal with them that counts. If you’ve “treated” yourself too much, I recommend a mini-fast the next day to help you regain that natural balance.

Dr. Anna Cabeca

Dr. Anna is a Triple Board Certified OB/GYN, Anti-Aging Medicine expert, and author of the best selling book, The Hormone Fix.

Dr. Anna helps women heal the 9 most dreadful symptoms of menopause with natural, safe solutions. Follow her for content on hormonal imbalances, vaginal dryness, menopause (and more) that are medically backed, and created to empower women — not just treat them.